I had the pleasure of a trip to visit Felicity (Felix) Ford at Knitsonik HQ a couple of weeks back. We are making mischievous plans for next year, and after lunch we decided to go for a walk before I headed back to Frome. By complete happenstance, Felix’s route took us through the campus of the University of Reading, so we made an abrupt change of plans and went to visit the Chemistry and Pharmacy department, which is home to a double helix staircase. Read more to find out about the double and triple helix staircases that provided the names for the patterns in Something New to Learn About Helical Knitting.
Read moreof being, but I think it’s been massively helped along by the super-speedy completion of our Telja Sweater in time for Yarndale. I have already shared the finished photo on Instagram and Ravelry, but today is the first time in ages that I’ve had the opportunity to sit down and blog about my knitting, so please forgive me for sharing it again. I’m still really pleased with it! Jim was a fabulous help to get the sleeves done, leaving me to complete the colourwork cuffs, body and then finally the yoke. Jim was so happy with the finished result that he has taken home some Something to Knit With Aran to make himself a Mountain Mist sweater from the brilliant new Tin Can Knits book, Strange Brew (it’s like a Something New to Learn About Yokes with a host of beautiful jumper and accessory designs as well as all the information you need to design your own yoke – we both really love it!).
Read moreToday we are releasing the first chapter in Something New to Learn About Helical Knitting.
Chapter 1 starts at the very beginning. Of course!
If you have never worked helically before, this is the chapter for you. If you’re already a helical fan, then don’t worry, there are plenty of new explorations for you in the later chapters. The first chapter is the knitting equivalent of the first term at a new school or university, where we make sure that everyone is up to speed on the foundations, before diving into the wider subject.
Read moreWhisper it quietly - I own (and wear) a number of cowls. They might be simple, but they’re far from boring.
Read moreIntrigued by the idea of helical knitting? Have you knitted 1x1 helical stripes, but would like to know more about working more complex stripes? Would you like to know more about using helical stitch patterns? Or are you just keen to try something new in your knitting? Then this is the ebook for you!
Something New to Learn About Helical Knitting will be delivered as an ebook in four fortnightly chapters, with the first being released on Tuesday 9th October.
Read moreWhilst jogless stripes are the most well-known application of helical knitting, I have become captivated with other possibilities for helical stitch patterns. Working helically is just (in my humble opinion) a heap of fun. It’s satisfying and simple, and at the same time can create quite complex fabrics with a minimum of fuss.
Helical knitting is sometimes a solution to a problem, but in other situations it’s just an elegant approach to a stitch pattern.
Read moreJim and I love almost every aspect of running Arnall-Culliford Knitwear, but one of the tasks that we procrastinate the most is the naming of patterns. There are so many things to think about when you choose a pattern name. Has it been used before? Does it relate to the design in question? Is there a theme to the collection and does the name fit with the theme? And most importantly, does the name have unexpected connotations, both here in the UK and internationally? When I’m thinking about a pattern name I have learned the hard way to look it up on Google as well as Ravelry. I once worked on a collection where one of the patterns now shares a name with a cream used for a rather unspeakable ailment…
Read moreWe’re nearly there in our race to finish a sweater before Yarndale. Oh, and the yarn’s pretty great too.
Read moreWhen you knit in the round, you aren’t working discrete, complete rounds, in the same way as you would work a row in flat knitting. Your knitting isn’t a series of rings of stitches sat on top of each other. Instead, in each round you are working a complete circuit or 360° turn of a helix. This is important because it means that the first stitch in your round is not adjacent to the last stitch in your round. In normal knitting you work a single, complete spiral of stitches, where the last stitch of the previous round is adjacent to the first stitch of the next round. Helical knitting turns this on its head, and sets up multiple spirals all sitting on top of each other.
Read moreI’ve been thinking about helical knitting.
A LOT.
I’ve been aware of helical knitting since I published my first pattern in June 2009 (Spiralling Socks, The Knitter, issue 7), and the sense of magic it inspires in me isn’t really matched by any other knitting technique. I am very partial to a neat tubular cast on, colourwork is a joy to do, and cables and lace make me feel clever, but helical knitting is just pure magic. The time finally came this year to sit down and explore it further. Much further.
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